Season Stats:
16 G, 16 GS, 35.8 MPG, 15.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.7 BPG, .465 eFG%, .528 TS%, 17.2 PER, 11.3% PIE
Evaluation
As a Net, Gerald Wallace really didn’t have enough time to establish himself, and considering that he only played for New Jersey for a month, that’s understandable. Still, there were flashes of good performances that have made him so valuable in the league in the first place. Having averaged just over 15 points and nearly 7 rebounds a game, “Crash” lived up to his nickname, hitting the floor with intensity in every single game. He was a massive upgrade to the team’s small forward position, plagued with inconsistency over the past three years, but it was too late for him to make the kind of difference that the Nets desired earlier in the season.
The Nets traded for him while surrendering their top-10 (protected top-3) pick for the 2012 NBA Draft, which would have been the Nets’ first draft selection (and a high one) as they move to Brooklyn; unsurprisingly, Wallace declared soon after the season ended that he will opting out of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent, thus opening the possibility of him departing from the Nets after just sixteen games.
Fairly or not, Wallace’s legacy as a Net is based on the team foolishly giving away an opportunity to select what possibly could’ve been a new, young star for the new Brooklyn team. The Nets have to hope they can convince Crash to stay while their lottery luck strikes gold.
Final Grade:
